Streaming Media Grows Up

The streaming video market seems to have matured -- at least in terms of its audience.

The streaming video market seems to have matured -- at least in terms of
its audience.

A research report released on Thursday found that consumers between the
ages of 35 and 54 years old accounted for more than 45 percent of all online
video watched in August 2005.

The research was conducted by comScore Networks in conjunction with
StreamingMedia.com.

According to the study, 35 to 54 year-olds are 20 percent more likely to
watch online video than the average Internet user, while 25 to 34 year-olds
are 12 percent more likely than the average Internet user to watch a stream
online.

Both segments are considered highly desirable by advertisers, and Erin
Hunter, senior vice president of comScore Networks Media and Entertainment
Solutions, said advertisers are waking up to the potential for reaching them
via streaming media.

"Contrary to public perception, it's not just 'college kids' or 'bleeding
edge' Internet users who are streaming videos," Hunter said in a statement.

The study also found that more than 100 million users access online
digital media via streams and downloads in the U.S. in a month. Video
consumption crosses all times of the day and demographics, with primetime
and daytime showing particular strength.

Nearly two-thirds of all U.S. Internet users in August streamed audio or
video through a portal, and almost 50 percent did so from an entertainment
site.

The findings are the result of monitoring a representative cross-section
of more than 1.5 million U.S. consumers who have given comScore explicit
permission to confidentially capture their full browsing behavior, including
audio and video consumption. The Internet audience measurement firm tracks
millions of audio and video records each month, reporting traffic by site,
player, format and protocol.

Dan Rayburn, executive vice president of StreamingMedia.com, said this
was the first detailed collection of streaming media consumption, and it
could be used as a market benchmark.